


The Vanishing Act

by TaoAndThen



Category: Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Blood and Gore, Brainwashing, Canada, Cannibalism, Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Childhood Trauma, Evil Twins, F/F, F/M, Hallucinations, Hinami Being a Cutie, Insanity, It's Not Paranoia If They're Really Out To Get You, M/M, Original Character(s), Predator/Prey, Secret Identity, Self-Harm, Self-Hatred, Shironeki - Freeform, Tokyo Ghoul Chapter 143 and Its Aftermath, Unhappy Ending, Weird Biology
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-09
Updated: 2015-04-27
Packaged: 2018-03-06 20:42:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3147962
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TaoAndThen/pseuds/TaoAndThen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Chief of the Canadian Ghoul Research and Response Agency has stated that, though scarce and damaged, the few ‘salvageable’ remains indicate this was absolutely an act of ghoul cannibalism…”</p><p>“The CGRRA has taken to calling this unknown ghoul ‘Wendigo’ after the supernatural creature from the stories of the First Nations tribes in the region…”</p><p>“Skepticism arises about the status of Wendigo after CGRRA agents say that lack of any evidence she has been active since the incident three years ago is all the more reason to be alarmed.  In a press conference yesterday the chief of the CGRRA was quoted, ‘Ghouls do not simply vanish’…”</p><p>Wendigo Psychosis- A culture-bound medical condition of Algonquin tribes characterized by the inexplicable and irrational act of human cannibalism, deriving its name from the mythological creature.  It is described as irrational because the individual is not acting upon survival instinct from starvation/hunger, but consumes human flesh alternatively to human food even when it is available.  The individual adopts the nature of a Wendigo but is still considered human, thus classification of cannibalism.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> The italicized text in the beginning is supposed to be various televised news reports. At the end it's a series of text messages.

Vanishing Twin- A phenomena which occurs in utero where one twin dies, usually as a result of malnourishment, and the other absorbs it. Can happen to either fraternal or identical twins. Individuals who have ‘absorbed’ a twin in utero can live without health risks but rare cases exist in which a developed part of the fetus remains, resulting in things ranging from tumor-like growths to additional stump-like limbs.

Chimera- A term used in the field of genetics referring to an individual organism which carries two distinguishable sets of DNA structures. This can have multiple results including two blood types or intersexuality. Organ transplants have been known to induce a sort of chimeraism because of the presence of different tissues which developed from separate genomes in housed in one body.

Wendigo- A monster in Algonquin mythology that lives off of human flesh. Their origin story is unknown, possibly a former human possessed by a demonic being or a unique class of paranormal entity.

Wendigo Psychosis- A culture-bound medical condition of Algonquin tribes characterized by the inexplicable and irrational act of human cannibalism, deriving its name from the mythological creature. It is described as irrational because the individual is not acting upon survival instinct from starvation/hunger, but consumes human flesh alternatively to human food even when it is available. The individual adopts the nature of a Wendigo but is still considered human, thus classification of cannibalism.

…

_“In what authorities are calling one of the most disturbing acts of ghoul violence in recorded North American history…”  
_

_“Chief of the Canadian Ghoul Research and Response Agency has stated that, though scarce and damaged, the few ‘salvageable’ remains indicate this was absolutely an act of ghoul cannibalism…”  
_

_“The CGRRA has taken to calling this unknown ghoul ‘Wendigo’ after the supernatural creature from the stories of the First Nations tribes in the region…”  
_

_“DNA samples and dental records have been collected from bite marks on the remains. The ghoul is confirmed to be female and somewhere between the age of thirteen and sixteen…”  
_

_“Because the Wendigo’s DNA samples show she is of French descent and not indigenous it’s likely that, assuming she is still alive, she took to hiding in plain sight in another Francophone province after fleeing the wilds of Ontario. Québec, being just east of Ontario, is on high alert…”  
_

_“I am positive that this ‘Wendigo’ will inadvertently give herself away. She grew up in the wilderness. She knows nothing about living in modern, developed urban regions. Ghouls in Québec are very easy to find because hunting is difficult and many starve to death as a result. Very few resort to cannibalism, most likely to keep their numbers up, and I’m certain she’s going to change that…”  
_

_“With cannibalized ghoul corpses now being found across the province the Canadian Ghoul Research and Response Agency has dispatched and stationed agents all over Québec…”  
_

_“More forensic data on the DNA attributed to the infamous cannibal ghoul ‘Wendigo’ has narrowed down a blood type and other physical traits. Forensic scientists have created this rough image of what she is believed to look like…”  
_

_“Ghoul activity in Québec has died down significantly since Wendigo is believed to have come here, and experts say they’re probably just as scared as we are because of her disturbing history of cannibalism…”  
_

_“Every ghoul attack since the Wendigo Massacre has not provided experts with any DNA matches to that of the infamous ghoul herself. Because the massacre occurred three years ago experts are confident that, as it’s impossible for her to survive without eating, she is in fact dead…”  
_

_“Skepticism arises about the status of Wendigo after CGRRA agents say that lack of any evidence she has been active since the incident three years ago is all the more reason to be alarmed. In a press conference yesterday the chief of the CGRRA was quoted, ‘Ghouls do not simply vanish’…”  
_

_“CGRRA has begun contacting sister agencies in France, Switzerland, Belgium, and other European countries that have high Francophone communities as they now suspect their searches were being conducted in the wrong place…”  
_

_“We have no idea how it could possibly happen but as I said before, ghouls don’t disappear out of thin air. She may have found a way to immigrate to Europe. We’re cross-listing our case file on Wendigo with every ghoul attack across Western Europe over the past three years. If nothing turns up we’ll have to expand to Anglophone, starting in the States…”  
_

_“Taxpayers are becoming outraged that their money is going towards a search for what many are now calling ‘an urban legend’…”  
_

_“Yeah, so a bunch of ghouls were killed by another ghoul. But the CGRRA has been relying on dental records and DNA taken from corpses which had already been, you know, rotting and decaying. I think that this witch hunt they’re on is pointless. They have nothing reliable other than some bite marks and DNA. How do they know that DNA belongs to Wendigo, eh? What if she, I don’t know, drowned in one of the lakes or rivers? It’s freaking Ontario! They’re everywhere!”  
_

_“Maybe some ghouls revere those who cannibalize. Some ancient civilizations engaged in cannibalism for sacred purposes. Maybe she’s with another ghoul, uh, ‘community’ now, still in Ontario, being treated as their queen or something. Has the CGRRA even been looking in Ontario at all?”  
_

_“After five years and nothing but dead ends the CGRRA has called off the search for Wendigo but claims if anything resembling the massacre or other suspicious activity arises they’ll reopen the case. Some citizens are relieved that this ‘boogeyman’ they think the CGRRA created has been put to rest while others believe they simply weren’t trying hard enough…”_   


... _  
_

“Thank you very much for the coffee, Touka-chan.”

“I’m a waitress. It’s…my job to bring you your order.”

“I know, I know, but-”

“Your Canadian is showing.”

“I’ve only been in Japan for half a year, give me a break!”

Touka held her waitress tray under her arm and scanned the empty café, its atmosphere underwhelming and almost bleak. After the raid on Anteiku she became Hinami’s primary caretaker and moved in with Hide, who had altered his appearance and assumed a false identity to cut off connections with the CCG, where the three of them did their best to nurse Kaneki back to health. Running almost solely on adrenaline, even she didn’t entirely recall the miracle that was the successful attempt at rescuing him from certain death at Arima’s hands. No one heard from Nishiki for almost a year after the escape until he contacted Kimi, telling her that he was returning to the 20th ward.

But four ghouls living in a small apartment with two humans was a dangerous arrangement, especially when those ghouls were all in hiding and Kaneki was in constant need of nourishment to heal his monstrous wounds. They were financially disadvantaged and no choice but to contact the last person they wanted coming near Kaneki- Tsukiyama. He was surprisingly tame, for the most part, not even going out of his way to see the healing youth. All he seemed concerned about was Kaneki having the opportunity to heal and he became their source of income until Hinami came up with an idea to make money their own way doing what they did best- working in a café. Since then no one had seen or heard from him and no one complained, though Hinami would curiously muse aloud now and then about how he was doing and what he did to occupy his time.

After her burst of inspiration :re was born, its architecture very much like that of Anteiku with a restaurant downstairs and apartments upstairs where the staff lived. It catered to ghouls and humans alike, even opening a delivery service which -at the moment- was no more Hide on a bike. They were still small and had yet to attract a steady group of regulars. There was one regular though, Béatrice DeForest. She had moved to Japan only a few months after :re opened; prior to she lived most of her young adult life in France, though she was originally from Canada. Upon arrival her Japanese had been relatively limited but during her first visit to the café she overheard Touka, while on her break, teaching Hinami just as Kaneki used to. It wasn’t long before Béatrice became not only Touka’s second student but :re’s only regular.

Though the red-haired, green eyed woman was friendly and cheerful her demeanor was quick to darken was pressed about her past, particularly when asked about why she relocated to Japan. She shared a few details about her childhood and adolescence like where she grew up and the places she lived, that she was raised by a single mother, and she didn’t know her father. But Béatrice the ghoul was reclusive and secretive. All they knew about her was that she was an ukaku type. She didn’t mind talking about Canada’s equivalent of the CCG, the Canadian Ghoul Research and Response Agency, mostly to familiarize herself with their Japanese terms like ‘kagune’ and ‘kakuhou’. Initially she refrained from telling of the terms she grew up with, those used in most Francophone anti-ghoul agencies, but Hinami’s desire to expand her vocabulary bled over into French and it was hard to deny an innocent request from such a sweet face.

“You look troubled Touka-chan. Something wrong?”

“I know we’re still fairly new but I worry about the future of :re. If it even _has_ a future,” she added bitterly. She plopped down in the booth across from Béatrice, chin in palm. “Hinami-chan’s right. Working in a café is all we know. But that’s also the problem. If this doesn’t work we have nothing to fall back on.”

“Hm…” Béatrice aimlessly twisted and turned her cup before taking a slow sip. “I wish I could be of some help, but I think the most I could do would work as a French and English translator. That isn’t something that would benefit the rest of you.”

“Might help attract tourists,” Touka replied with a slight shrug. “There isn’t much competition in this shopping district but we don’t advertise much either.”

“It might. We can see what the others think later,” she smiled. “So…how is he?”

Touka’s gaze downcast steadily, almost as if to hide her shame. “The smaller wounds are gone. The bigger ones are starting to heal. His appetite is still a little intense because of that, so Hide and Kimi-san can’t go anywhere near him.”

Béatrice took another sip. “What about his eyes?”

“Nothing. Almost two years now and nothing.” She shook her head. “But I’d rather not talk about it.”

“Of course. I’m sorry for asking.”

“Stop apologizing for everything.”

“I’m sorry, I just can’t help it!” the redhead replied with a sheepish grin before finishing her cup.

“Béatrice-san, I know you hate talking about your past but there’s something I’ve been wondering lately. It has nothing to do with your life before Japan. I’m just curious…” Touka hesitated, waiting for some sort of confirmation that it was alright to continue be it verbal or non. Béatrice looked curious herself after hearing the disclaimer and Touka continued. “Your parents. Do you know where your mother is now? And have you tried to find your father?”

“Oh, I’d imagine she’s still in Canada somewhere. We didn’t…part on the best of terms. I don’t think she even knows where I am. As for my father I have no desire to find him. He left because he didn’t want me, he left because he hated my mother, he left because it was for our own good. I don’t know his reasons but it doesn’t matter to me. He didn’t play a part in my young life so what’s the point in trying to bring him in now?”

“Makes sense. Refill?” She nodded toward the empty mug.

“Yes please, if you don’t mind.”

“Do you see anyone else here?” Touka motioned around the empty café. “I’m the only one working right now if that tells you anything.”

“Is Hide-kun running deliveries right now?”

“Yeah. You alright?” She noticed Béatrice shift uncomfortably in her seat.

“I’m fine, I’m fine. I still have those pains in the middle of my back but I’m sure it’s nothing. Probably sleeping in an awkward position.”

“If you say so.” Touka took the empty mug to the kitchen to wash it and grabbed a fresh one. As she started to brew a new pot both she and Béatrice twitched their noses. The door had opened and a human customer entered the café. After Touka brought Béatrice her refill she took the girl’s order and promptly began preparing it.

As Béatrice drank the girl, an adolescent with brown hair and brown eyes wearing a green raincoat, pulled out a smart phone with a pink case snapped over it. She pretended to text and play games while she waited but in actuality was filming and photographing Béatrice, the shutter sound off. She set it down when Touka brought her order and as she ate she sent the media to her most frequent contact.

_Chie, 12:38 PM_

_You said she had curly blonde hair and brown eyes. Are you SURE that’s her?_

_Interesting Photography Model, 12:45 PM_

_Absolutely. When does she usually frequent :re?_

_Chie, 12:47 PM_

_About this time, late afternoon, every day._

_Interesting Photography Model, 12:49 PM_

_Seems I have a lunch date tomorrow._

_Chie, 12:51 PM_

_You never did say what’s so special about her._

_  
_

_Interesting Photography Model, 12:54 PM_

_Not my story to tell. Not yet._


	2. Two Spiders, One Web

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a lot of fun coming up with the French terms. My mom is from Canada and even she had fun helping me, interested in what I was working on. I didn't share all the details of course :p
> 
> Seeing as both Tsukiyama and Béatrice speak French I really don't see a point in using any French words from either of them except the ghoul-related ones, unless they're around others. Everyone writes Tsukiyama as talking in French 10% of the time but like I said, I honestly don't find it necessary when it's the two of them. It can be assumed that he says 'oui' instead of 'hai' or 'ma chère' instead of ______ (insert Japanese equivalent here). It's pretty much canon for him to do that anyway but if he's talking with a native speaker...see what I'm getting at? Hell, their entire conversations could be in French so why throw a few French words in here and there?

Ghoul (Investigator) Terminology, Japanese to Canadian-French-

  *          Ghoul- “ombre” (“ghoul”, “shade”, “shadow”, “specter” [the implication being that ghouls operate in the dark and literally follow humans, like a cast shadow])
  *          Kakuhou- “organe anormale” (“abnormal organ”; can be shortened to “organormale”)
  *          Kagune- “grossissment” (“swelling”, “growth”, “exaggeration”; can be used in a medical context)
  *          Ukaku- “ailé” (“winged”; description of its shape and granted agility to users)
  *          Koukaku- “flèche” (“arrow”, “spire”, “beam”; description of its sturdiness and projectile nature)
  *          Rinkaku- “centre” (“center”, “focus”, “middle”, “crux”; description of its location in the middle of the back)
  *          Bikaku- “base” (“base”, “foundation”, “ground”; description of its location near the coccyx)
  *          Kakugan- “les yeux des diable” (“the evils of the devil”)
  *          Kakuja- “cannibale armurié” (“armored cannibal”; can be shortened to “cannibarmurié”)
  *          A hybrid ghoul- “mélange” (“mixture”)
  *          Quinque- “mallette d’arme” (“gun case” [“mallette” translates to “briefcase”])
  *          RC Cells- “l’enfants rouge cell” (“red child cell”; can be shortened to “ER cell”)
  *          Half-ghoul- “demi-ombre” (“half a ghoul” [not to be confused with translation for “half of a ghoul”])
  *          Canadian Ghoul Research and Response Agency- “Agence Canadienne pour la sécurité et recherche des ombres” (“Canadian Agency for the Security [Against] and Research of Ghouls”; note that there is no word or term in French translating to a “response team” or anything of a similar concept)



…

“Touka-chan, it’s about time I head out. Where’s Hinami-chan? I’d like to say goodbye before I go.”

After the young human customer had left Touka and Béatrice were once again the only occupants in house. Hide was due to return from his deliveries while Kimi, who had assumed the role of overseeing their finances, was reviewing their budget and Nishiki tended to Kaneki. The youngest was also with him, telling him about the new characters Touka had taught her. Slightly skeptical of Touka’s teaching qualifications, Kaneki would have Hinami use her finger to draw out the characters on his palm to test her knowledge.

“She’s upstairs…Probably telling Kaneki-kun what a horrible teacher I am,” Touka snorted as she swept behind the counter.

“Do you think he would mind?”

It was impossible to hide the scent of the human meat being served only one floor above from Béatrice, let alone the unique scent that belonged to Kaneki himself. She didn’t pry, only suspected that another ghoul lived in the apartments above. Kaneki was the one who insisted, despite extreme apprehension from all other parties, that he meet Béatrice. His intentions weren’t cordial; he wanted to issue her a warning. Being a foreigner from the West she knew little to nothing of the CCG and its despicable watchdog Arima.

 _“In this condition I can’t fight to protect anyone. But I can use words to defend.”_ That was what he had told her and she abided by his warning since. They weren’t as close as she and Touka, Hinami, and even Hide to a degree; she always greeted and bid farewell to as he ran back and forth handling their deliveries. But even in his bedridden state Kaneki still felt an obligation to keep as many people as safe as he possibly could. If this complete stranger was important to :re and increasingly important to the others then he felt he had no choice. No, he _knew_ he had no choice.

“Can’t say. Go on up. Hinami-chan always gets a little bummed out if you leave before saying goodbye. Well…no, she gets bummed out when you don’t promise that you’ll be back tomorrow.”

Béatrice nodded and gathered her things before going upstairs. Kimi was indeed in the room she shared with Nishiki and a faint rhythmic clicking and clacking of her keyboard could be heard from it. The door was locked as she liked to give the impression that she couldn’t afford any distractions while handling such delicate business matters. Kaneki’s door was partway open, the potent scent of human blood and meat no doubt the _real_ reason for her door being closed. Hinami was showing him all the new characters she had learned and even sharing a few of the French words Béatrice taught her while Nishiki helped the blind half-ghoul eat. The redhead knocked softly on the door and Hinami opened it fully.

“I’m going home now. I wanted to come say my goodbyes.”

“Why? You might as well live here too,” Nishiki muttered as he tore a small chunk of meat and carefully placed it on the end of Kaneki’s tongue. Being in such dire need of nutrition for his recovery, Kaneki had been known to bite off a finger now and then when his instincts bested him.

Hinami suddenly pulled Béatrice into a tight hug. “You’ll be back tomorrow, right?” she asked hopefully.

“Of course,” she nodded. “Touka-chan and I talked about some things we could do to bring more customers to :re so I was hoping, if it’s not too busy, all of us could get together and share them.”

“New ideas? I like the sound of that,” the youngest beamed. “I look forward to it!” Few things could warm a heart more than Hinami’s smile. Unfortunately it did little to ease the growing anxiety within Béatrice.

If she didn’t leave **soon** …she could pose a greater threat than Kaneki, _especially_ to-

She said her goodbyes to the rest and began the long trek to her apartment. It was near the café but she had to eat before going home. After partially sating her hunger she made a quick stop at a nearby convenience store for red hair dye and coffee, then took the train back to 20th ward.

Generally when one leaves a locale of sentimental attachment, such as an apartment, they lock the door before departing. Béatrice had locked her apartment door. She always did. She was far too paranoid not to. Yet there she stood, a bag full of her favorite local coffee blend and red hair dye in her left hand, her keys in her right -with said keys inserted into the lock- but there was no click. An unlocked door doesn’t click.

But the usually paranoid ghoul wasn’t struck by a sudden anxiety, or worse, panic attack. She felt no need to flee. Her senses, particularly sense of smell had assured her there was no immediate danger. Not yet as the potential did exist, though the odds of her being the one in immediate danger were low. The same couldn’t be said for her visitor. Rather, the interloper.

The lights were on in the kitchen and the TV was on in the living room, the evening news currently broadcasting. Generally when one has a guest in their home they greet them and then proceed to the pleasantries. Instead she chose to ignore him, putting her hair dye in the modestly sized bathroom and the coffee grounds on the kitchen counter. A mixture of reluctance, intrigue, and relief in her chest, she entered the living room and sat down next to her intruder/guest. There was a cup of freshly brewed coffee on the table before them in her Tim Horton’s mug. It was her most prized possession. He drank casually from a plain black one, no doubt complaining on the inside about her poor taste in kitchenware. She took a few sips while she waited for him to initiate conversation. He had broken into _her_ apartment after all; surely he had a reason as he wasn’t one for casual conversation.

“How did I find you? That’s what you’re wondering right now, isn’t it?” He flashed a pleasant smile. “I’ll admit, you’ve really tested my patience these past seven or so years. I even resorted to finding a replacement for you. Being such a creature of habit however, you were easy-”

_“This morning the CCG released a bizarre and shocking statement. There has been a slight, but noteworthy, decline in ghoul attacks. Attacks on humans, that is. The reason? They say it’s not a decline in attacks on humans but an increase in attacks on other ghouls. Whether this is the actions of an organized group, select few, or an individual remains to be seem but the CCG has launched a massive investigation to find those responsible…”_

Tsukiyama grabbed the remote and muted the TV. “Need I say more?”

Béatrice folded her legs beneath herself and remained silent, her brow creasing in frustration.

“You’re financially disadvantaged, a conversational speaker at best, and fugitive. So why come to Japan, of all places?” His question was rhetorical and overwhelmingly condescending.

She glanced over at him and narrowed her eyes into thin slits but still said nothing.

“Could it be that someone had to leave France because she was almost caught, and decided to take me up on my most generous offer?” He emphasized the words ‘generous offer’ with faux altruism.

“I’ve been doing just fine living under the radar on my own, thank you very much.”

“Certainly. My radar,” he replied smugly. “What I don’t understand is why you didn’t seek me out, considering all I have to offer you. How I can protect you.”

“I’ve become a lot smarter since we last saw each other. I don’t need you or your ‘generous offer’,” she snapped, setting down her empty mug. “I can take care of myself.”

“Of course you can,” he replied facetiously. “That’s why you’re making headlines, my dear cannibal. Tell me Béatrice, if you’re so capable then why come to Japan? Why come to the 20th ward? Why come to the place I said you would be able to find me when the time came for you to leave France?” He leaned closer and closer towards her with each question.

“I wanted to leave the Western Hemisphere,” she lied, moving away from him but he insisted on invading her personal space. Canadians don’t have much of a ‘personal space’, so her discomfort from his closeness and from Tsukiyama himself warranted congratulation.

“That doesn’t answer my question. Change your appearance all you like but we both know you won’t be able to survive without me.” He twirled a strand of her artificially crimson hair around his finger, wrinkling his nose in disgust at the scent of the freshly applied dye.

“Shut up.” She shifted her position, trying to ease the ache in her back. “Son of a bitch,” she muttered under her breath.

Tsukiyama tilted his head to the side and eyed her curiously. “You still haven’t released it, have you?” he asked surprised.

“I can remain reliant on the ailé,” she said stubbornly.

“Certainly. If you don’t mind living with a centre threatening to burst out of your back at any given moment. Though surely an expert at living under the radar such as yourself could easily explain that to ignorant human bystanders,” he mocked. “But the fact that it’s causing such severe back pain isn’t all that terrible. It indicates it hasn’t been crippled from sustained damage…or malnutrition.”

“Enough about the cannibalism.” She grit her teeth and folded her arms over her chest, annoyance growing at a dangerously exponential rate.

“Remind me again what happened when you tried surviving off of human meat alone? You weren’t able to maintain a healthy RC cell count, yes? Having to nourish two organormale must be quite tedious. You’re almost entirely dependent on eating other ghouls, and quite often at that.”

“I told you to shut up.”

“You should take more pride in your reputation! What is it they call you in the English-speaking world? The ‘ghoul’s boogeyman’? You were cannibalizing in the womb, you little overachiever.” He was tempted to pinch her cheek. “You’re a role model, a celebrity, a Goddess in your own right-!”

“It’s been almost ten minutes and you haven’t said anything about me being like ‘potpourri’ or wondering what ‘two bodies in one’ tastes like,” she said deadpan. “Are you ill?”

He held up a hand and shook his head. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, my dear.”

When they first met seven years ago she was grateful for all the promises he had made her. Promises of a safe place in Japan should she need it, but more importantly access to as much ghoul meat as she needed whenever she might need it (which was often). It was the only way to keep her abnormal biochemistry from destroying her from the inside out. But she had matured, or so she liked to think, since then and had no desire or intention of relying on another to survive. There was no denying that it was in her best interest to take him up on those offers but she feared the consequences of being at his mercy, more specifically how he seemed so confident in being able to control the caged beast in the middle of her back; a beast that had been violently rattling its cage with growing ferocity since her younger years. A beast she actively denied inability to control.

In her naivety Béatrice thought Tsukiyama, with all his promises, to be the only one capable of easing her daily struggles. He could very well be capable of ending them altogether. She believed it was safe, logical even, to tell him her story from beginning to end. Everything the news had failed to report and information only the CGRRA had in its archives. Even they didn’t know all the details which worked to her advantage, and she was desperate to make sure that never changed.

After doing so the two of them started a ‘harmless’ and ‘playful’ game of cat and mouse. Tsukiyama had always been primarily attracted by scent and something about Béatrice’s seemed…incomplete. And it was. As a carrier of two distinct sets of DNA there was a kakuhou attached to each and with it a kagune. One of them was never meant to be hers. Carrying two meant a need for a constant intake of high amounts of RC cells, something her mother knew since her conception. More specifically at the conception of Béatrice and her twin, the one Tsukiyama teased her for ‘cannibalizing’ in utero. Only ghoul meat could provide her with the proper amount of RC cells she needed. She was born to be a kakuja.

A human chimera can generally live without complications as a result despite carrying two sets of DNA. A chimera ghoul possessed two kakuhou; unlike a hybrid, unlike Hinami, a chimera ghoul was exactly like Tsukiyama had described- two bodies in one. A kakuhou for each set of DNA, a kagune for each kakuhou. Unlike a hybrid ghoul they could not both be ‘active’ at the same time as they were of two completely different sets of DNA, developed from different genomes. All traces of DNA that the CGRRA had of Béatrice were of the rinkaku she fought to keep inside, the kagune that ‘belonged’ to her. Try as she might to use the ukaku she absorbed from her dead twin, the other kakuhou she ‘put to sleep’ was tired of coming in second to this invasive organ in her shoulder. It was tired of being ignored by its owner. And it made no secret of that.

As appealing as Kaneki’s scent was, to put it lightly, he knew it in its entirety. Béatrice’s scent, aptly described as ‘potpourri’ was something he was only half familiar with. At the current she was like appetizer, while the main course was on a covered silver platter and out of his reach. Kaneki’s scent, being so unique, had to serve as a replacement until he encountered his ‘dear cannibal’ again. He was determined to find out what waited for him on that platter; he and he alone knew her story, the culinary treasure beneath her flesh, and he would be damned more than he already was in anyone even caught the faintest hint of her secret scent before he did. The taste of a ghoul’s flesh was nauseating to some but Béatrice was a mix of sweet and sour. He craved that hidden aroma, that hidden flavor.

He was playing with fire. He knew that, and that only made him want her more. While Tsukiyama was desperate to know what this particular ghoul tasted like, Béatrice ate any ghoul. Every ghoul. Often. Sitting so close to her was dangerous, testing her temper even more so. But she enjoyed evading him, taunting him now and then. Reminding him of what he was missing out on by chewing on chapped lips until they bled and the like. And unlike Kaneki he never even had the chance to sample the half of her that was already available. He didn’t even have a remnant of it. Only the memory.

Out of all the senses, scent is most strongly tied to memory.

Like a blind insect she flew into his web. He could provide her with ghoul meat, with sanctuary to keep the CCG (or God forbid, the CGRRA) from finding her, and a place to release her rinkaku before it spontaneously burst out of her back. Her friends didn’t know her story. They didn’t know she was a cannibal. Tsukiyama and Tsukiyama alone could help her…at a price, of course.

What he failed to realize when she flew into his web was that he, a migratory wolf spider, caught a cannibalistic black widow. And just as she had fooled herself into thinking that she could suppress her rinkaku he, so desperate to uncover that hidden scent and heavenly flavor, convinced himself that he could best her. She used an ukaku; the koukaku trumped it. But the secret weapon in the middle of her back was superior to a koukaku. She already had a firmly established history of losing self-control; if cornered far enough the tradition would continue on.

After all, the only reason he knew she was in Japan was because of her carrying on this tradition.

“No.” She cracked a tiny grin. “Let’s. That’s what you want, isn’t it? You’re so damn arrogant if you _still_ think you’re stronger than me. Do you even realize how unsafe it is for you to be around me now? Or…ever?”

“And yet here I am.”

“If there’s one thing I’ve always loved about you, it’s that sense of humor.” She playfully tapped him on the nose with her fingertip. “I may have been naïve when we met but so were you, making all those promises. And you still think you can keep them?”

“I wouldn’t make such a generous offer if I had no intention of keeping it. You need me if you want to survive here.”

“You need to avoid me if you want to survive at all,” she snickered.

“You’re a fugitive. Still on the run. And your greatest weapon is the very reason you’re in hiding. I can’t even imagine the amount of pain you must be in right now, you poor thing,” he said with feigned sympathy.

She exhaled sharply. “It’s…not pleasant.”

“Then at the very least consider the opportunity to alleviate yourself of that pain.”

“And if the Wendigo reappears?”

He nodded towards the TV. “It would seem to me that she already has.”

“No, I don’t mean the cannibalism. I mean the result of the cannibalism. What will you do if the _real_ Wendigo reappears?”

“Nothing’s stopping that from happening now,” he pointed out, making her curl her lips inward in annoyance. She didn’t want to admit he was right. It was like tantamount to committing sin. “Yes, the massacre happened using your centre. But a cannibarmurié is a cannibarmurié.”

“You just want to keep me under your thumb,” she scoffed.

“Oh Béatrice, you wound me!” he exclaimed emphatically, a hand on his forehead. “Why is it so hard to believe that I only have your best interests at heart?”

“I’m sure you do. And the stronger I am, the happier I am, the safer I am…That would **surely** complement the flavor, wouldn’t it? Of course it does, we both know that from personal experience.”

“Do you remember the promise you made to me not long after we met?” he asked with uncharacteristic innocence. “When I asked if you had ever been to a ghoul restaurant?”

“I said that I hadn’t, you looked like your fragile reality fell apart, you offered to take me to the one in France, I was scared it might trigger the centre, but I said that someday I would let you take me to one.”

It almost sounded as though she regretted making that promise. Imagine that.

He nodded slowly. “That’s right. You, my dear, owe me a date.”

She raised an eyebrow skeptically. “Touka-chan told me the restaurant here collapsed.”

“It did,” he said somewhat hesitantly. Surely there was no way Touka knew that it was out of his own volition? That he let Kaneki run wild and cannibalize the attendees?

“A little reluctant to admit it, eh? You know, she did warn me about you…”

“You shouldn’t believe everything you hear,” he replied with an indignant sneer.

“I don’t. But why would she lie to me when she, unlike you, really did have my interest at heart? Never mind.” She waved a hand dismissively. “This date…when were you thinking?”

Ideally as soon as possible. Now? “Late afternoon tomorrow. Hopefully by then your hair won’t smell so…” He twirled a strand and released it with a face of repulsion. “Rancid.”

She rubbed the back of her neck. “That’s…when I go to :re and I already have plans to-”

“One-thirty.”

“That could work.” An electric jolt shot through her back, almost causing her to bite through her tongue (which Tsukiyama was hoping for the moment he saw her suffering). “Shit, shit, shit…” She squirmed again. “Alright, I was wrong. I need to let it out. I just can’t do it in a place where any DNA traces could be found.”

“Don’t worry yourself over that. If your DNA was found they would try to take you away from me…and I’m not going to let that happen.”

“How noble of you, my knight in shining armor.” She rolled her eyes.

“May I see it?”

“The centre? Or, um, how it’s trying to break out?” She thought for a moment and then shrugged. “Go ahead. I haven’t seen itself myself. The thought of it gives me nightmares.” She shuddered as she turned around, back to him. “Kaneki-kun said something about nightmares once…Guess he and I are more alike than I thought, eh?”

 _Turning your back to an apex predator…I expected better from you._ “How so?” He slowly lifted the bottom of her shirt up until he reached the middle of her back. The area was dark red, swollen, and rippled a few times. The kakuhou wasn’t only trying to become active, the kagune was already fighting its way out. Had he not been so enticed by what lay beneath her flesh he would’ve gagged at the sight.

“You’re obsessed with both of us,” she chuckled. “How’s it look?”

“Hideous. You can see the centre trying to break through the skin.”

She paled, gulping nervously. “…you can? It’s…moving…under my skin?”

“It is. It looks ready to burst out any second now. You need to take care of that immediately.”

“I can’t do it here! Especially not with you right behind me.” Technically she could. A part of her wanted to. That web wasn’t big enough for the two of them. But she had too much fun playing their game…even if she pretended not to.


	3. Bargains

“As much as we all hate to admit it, Hinami-chan is growing up…And I don’t just mean physically. She’s got quite the mouth on her now.” Touka laced her fingers together and looked at Béatrice accusingly. “This morning some asshole on his way to work at one of the stores further down…” She pointed over her shoulder with her thumb. “Was heckling her, cat calling, being a complete perv to her. And when she couldn’t take it anymore, do you know what she did?” She raised an eyebrow. 

Béatrice brought her mug up to her face, the only source of protection she had against that evil glare, and shook her head. “Not the faintest idea.” 

“She called him a ‘fucking hoser’. Can’t imagine where she picked up _that_ from.” 

“To be fair, she could’ve said much worse.” 

“So you’ve taught her much worse?” 

“…anything I say from this point on will be incriminating so-” 

Touka waved a hand dismissively. “Forget it. We already had a talk with her about how she can’t talk to patrons like that. Dumb teenage hormones are making her sassy.” 

“Happens to the best of us?” the red-head shrugged. 

“Suppose. But there’s something more important than Hinami-chan’s behavior I need to tell you about.” Once again the house was depressingly empty so they were free to talk about anything and everything ghoul related, for better and for worse. It was usually for worse. 

Tsukiyama wasn’t the only one who was paying attention to the news about the spike in ghoul cannibalism, that was a given. Béatrice could feel her grip on her mug start to loosen, palms now clammy, and she set it on the table. Did Touka know? Did they know? Did they know it was her? Did they know who she was? 

She had half a mind to bolt right then and there. 

“The safest hunting spots Nishiki-kun and I told you about aren’t safe anymore. You’ve seen the news, right? Someone’s attacking other ghouls. I’d put my money on Aogiri but ever since what happened at Anteiku they’ve been pretty quiet. If they were to become active again, publicly, they wouldn’t be so subtle. They’re all attention whores.” She rolled her eyes. 

In the clear. 

“Be very, _very_ careful from now on. If you need to we can start supplying you with human meat. The most popular spots for suicide haven’t been disturbed…Not yet. Maybe you should hunt there. No matter the case though, there’s a ghoul or a handful of ghouls going around cannibalizing.” 

Béatrice hated that word. It sounded so aggressive, derogatory even. It’s not as if she wanted to eat other ghouls. But if she didn’t…and her RC cell count began to drop…Tsukiyama’s praise for being an ‘overachiever’ and doing it ‘in utero’ didn’t help. 

“I don’t know how strong you are because you don’t like talking about it, and that’s fine. But you don’t know the ghouls around here like we do. I know you don’t like talking about your past but you’ve told us some things about your childhood. You said grew up in a place a lot like Anteiku and :re, right? Ghouls living together to help each other survive, or something like that? You’re not going to find a lot of that here. Not with the doves running around. So don’t go around thinking you can take them on yourself.” _Don’t be like Bakaneki._

She forced a fearful expression. “Alright. I’ll be careful. I promise.” 

“If you ever find yourself in trouble come straight here,” Touka ordered and pressed a finger onto the table top. “Come straight here and let Nishiki-kun and I handle it. We’ve had to change Hide-kun’s routes to make sure he stays safe too. There are a few ghouls we know we can trust living around here and those are the only ones he takes deliveries to. If he were to be targeted, they could help him out. If not for his sake, for Kaneki’s. Bedridden or not people still respect him and once he is healed, well, no one wants to worry about him showing up on their doorstep cracking his knuckles.” 

Béatrice nodded again. “Yes, I understand. Completely. So, about those ideas I had-” 

“Today won’t work. We only stayed open for you to come in. After you leave we’re closing for today. With everything going on we need to start coming up with more security measures. Kaneki’s idea. I…I don’t fully understand why. No one does. But all this talk of indiscriminate ghoul cannibalism has him on edge. It probably has something to do with-” Touka caught herself. That wasn’t her story to tell. “Never mind, forget I said that. We can talk about it tomorrow. Our safety, the safety of our friends is more important than :re right now. And it always will be. Nishiki-kun said he’d start looking at some other places for you here in the 20th ward, maybe some of the neighboring ones too, and put together a list for you. Worst comes to worst there’s someone we can talk to about…securing resources for ourselves,” she said with a slight groan. “Have you ever known someone so despicable, someone you can’t stand, but find yourself in a position where you have no choice but to turn to them for help?” 

“No,” Béatrice lied. 

“Lucky,” Touka huffed. “The same person who helped us found this place, that asshole who tried to eat Kaneki, I know I’ve told you about him. The fact that he’s lying low right now is refreshing. Probably scared of all these attacks on other ghouls. Good riddance,” she grinned. 

“If he tried to eat Kaneki-kun before…Do you think it’s possible that the Gourmet is behind these attacks? Or connected to them?” the red-head asked. Her ability to fake innocence and naivety was startling but she had years of practice under her belt. Not to mention it was a survival mechanism. 

“Doubt it. He’s too picky.” She shuddered and faked a gag. “I don’t even want to think about that creep right now. I hate to kick you out but-” 

The door to the apartments upstairs opened and Hide poked his head out. All of his deliveries for the day had been canceled so he was helping Kimi crunch numbers. “Don’t. Kaneki wants to talk to you, Béatrice-san.” 

“Why?” Touka demanded. No doubt it had something to do with the rise in ghoul-on-ghoul violence, but what could Kaneki say to her that the others couldn’t? The answer to that was fairly obvious. Things he hadn’t shared with the others. Things they wanted to know but dare not ask for fear of triggering his nightmares and panic attacks…again. 

“Didn’t say,” Hide shrugged and then nodded over his shoulder. “Come on up. He’s calm right now, for the most part. I mean, he won’t attack you. Probably.” 

“Reassuring,” Touka snorted as Béatrice rose. She was slightly envious that Kaneki might share with her something he wouldn’t tell the others. Whatever it was she had no idea, which didn’t help at all. 

As Béatrice went upstairs Touka flipped the ‘OPEN’ sign over, dimmed the lights, and began cleaning the house. Hide went to the kitchen to take care of the few dirty dishes in there. Math wasn’t his strong suit and Kimi was starting to lose her patience with how unhelpful he had been. Having a heart in the right place doesn’t balance a budget. 

Nishiki was standing outside the closed door as if standing guard. It wasn’t for Kaneki’s sake though, but for the sake of everyone else. If he needed meat someone, ideally a ghoul, would have to be nearby to get it to him right away. 

“Do you know why he wants to see me?” Béatrice asked softly. 

“Nope. Don’t worry. He’s stable right now. No idea how long that’ll last though.” He opened the door and Béatrice stepped inside. 

The room was even more modest than her apartment. Kaneki wasn’t exactly in dire need of furniture, not in his bed-ridden state. Aside from the bed, the chair Nishiki (and occasionally Hinami) would sit on while helping him eat, a bedside table, and small bookshelf that was sorely lacking in new titles there was nothing. Nothing other than a ghoul who had spent years in what looked like a comatose state. 

As Touka had said before the lesser wounds were gone. His insides were still somewhat scrambled, comparable to what happened after his date with Rize. His fingernails were starting to return to their normal color, with white cuticles and darkened tips. It looked like a poor attempt at a monochromatic manicure. His hair was also starting to grow back into its normal color though it was still very faint, faint enough to the point where one would have to strain their eyes to see the tiny threads of black sprouting on his scalp. Color returned to his cheeks. But his eyes sockets were prime real estate for maggots. They were empty, not even tiny sinews and strands of tissue starting to grow in despite the amount of time that had passed. From certain angles and in lower lighting they looked like they were rotting. Mummies and bodies preserved in peat bogs had the flawless and sparkling glow of supermodels compared to the gaping craters beneath his eyebrows. 

They both knew there was only one way to fix that, something the others were very reluctant to resort to. 

Béatrice sat next to his bedside and waited for him to speak. Having spent so much time without his sense of sight, his sense of smell and hearing were almost disturbingly adept when he was calmer. At one point he had joked that he might be able to give Tsukiyama a run for his money. He was the only one who found it humorous, though Hinami did chuckle a little…until Nishiki and Touka tag-teamed in shooting disapproving and scolding looks at her. 

“You know what this is about,” he began quietly, voice strained from lack of use. 

“I can guess.” 

“Don’t give me that bullshit,” he replied harshly. “Touka-chan told you about the increase in cannibalism, right? Do you know what that could lead to?” 

“A direct threat to us.” 

“More specifically?” he pressed. 

She looked at the floor and exhaled slowly. Something in her gut, something other than coffee and digesting ghoul meat, told her he was suspicious. “Cannibale armurié,” she said quietly. “Sorry, I don’t remember the Japanese word it. So many start with ‘k’ and I get them mixed up.” 

“Kakuja.” She repeated the word under her breath, trying to commit it to memory before he continued. “You don’t like talking about your past. You said your mother raised you, you don’t know your father, you lived in a small ghoul-only community in Canada, moved to France, then came here. Why? Why Japan, of all places? Especially after what happened at Anteiku? That went global.” 

She hesitated, trying to formulate the best excuse possible. A vague excuse. “Europe, especially Anglophone and Francophone areas, were becoming dangerous. I needed somewhere to hide.” 

“From what?” 

“Authorities. There was an incident…and incident in Canada that happened when I was a teenager. After it happened I moved to a neighboring province, but that was a mistake. It was a large province with many metropolitan areas. Full of tourist attractions and rich history. Able to fund local chapters of the Agence Canadienne pour la sécurité et recherche des ombres better than most.” 

“The Canadian CCG, right?” 

“Yes, sorry, I still slip into French. Touka-chan is used to it and she’s the one I speak with most, aside from Hinami-chan. But Hinami-chan likes learning Canadian English and Canadian French so-” 

“Béatrice-san, do you know anything about these attacks?” Though he couldn’t see he reflexively turned his head to her. 

“Why do you ask?” 

“The fact that you won’t answer my question makes me even more suspicious.” 

“Suspicious of what?” 

“Damn it, I told you to cut the shit,” he hissed. He cracked a knuckle. Even he didn’t know if it was out of habit or to intimidate her. 

“You think I am responsible for them.” 

“I don’t know. But I find it strange how Touka-chan told you about them. According to you. You already knew, and that’s fine. It’s all over the news. But you don’t seem fazed by it. You do seem fazed by the accusations though. I’m going to ask you one question and I expect an honest answer.” He cracked another knuckle. “Have you eaten ghoul meat before?” 

“Yes,” she admitted. Feeling cornered, what point was there in trying to keep it a secret? 

“It’s not uncommon. But you sound guilty.” 

“I don’t do it for fun.” 

“‘Don’t’ or ‘didn’t’?” 

Double shit. 

“You feel like you’re on trial, don’t you? Look, I trust Touka-chan. I trust Nishiki-senpai.” Though no longer a student he had yet to change the honorific. There was a sentimental attachment of sorts to the word. “And they trust you. They know you better than me. But I know more about things like this than they do. They’re scared by these attacks. They think they might be next. Or God forbid, Hinami-chan.” His face contorted in anger. “But getting rid of other ghouls makes it easier to get human meat, which we all need. Except for me. If you’ve eaten ghoul meat, you know why.” 

She nodded, even though he couldn’t see. “Higher RC cell count. The human meat isn’t enough to give you the nutrients you need to fully heal. That’s why your eyes are…That’s why you haven’t regenerated them.” 

“That’s my guess. I’ve never been this severely injured before and I’ve never considered using ghoul meat to heal. I never needed to. But I do now. And I don’t care what Touka-chan says. Yes, it was selfish. Yes, I got myself in this mess. Perhaps I should’ve listened to Tsukiyama-san. Would anything have been different if I didn’t join the fight? The dove I killed might still be alive but other than that…I changed nothing. And I want to make up for that. So if you have anything to do with the cannibalizing, I need you to bring me ghoul meat. If the others ask feel free to tell them. I don’t care. If they’re so damn concerned with my getting better they should at least let me try. But if you do you run the risk of exposing yourself as a cannibal. I don’t know how often you do it, I don’t know if you’re a kakuja, and quite frankly I don’t care. I barely know you but I know what you can do. And I know that as an outsider with no knowledge of how ghoul society works in Japan you’re very dependent on us to stay safe and learn more about it. So I trust that, cannibal or not, you wouldn’t hurt my friends.” 

“Of course not,” she said reassuringly. “Not simply because of some…dependence. I like them. All of them. Touka-chan might as well be Canadian considering how friendly she’s been to me,” she chuckled. “Which Nishiki-kun said is unlike her. He’s been helpful too. And who could resist Hinami-chan’s adorable face? For better and for worse…” 

“I heard about the ‘fucking hoser’ thing. I _heard_ her yell it. She’s at that age I guess.” 

“Kimi-san and Hide-kun are very hard workers, which I respect, especially since they’re fugitives and would be called traitors to humans if anyone knew what they did. I think that’s great of them to do what they do and expect nothing in return.” 

“Am I right about ghoul meat helping heal me faster? Perhaps the only way for me to regenerate my eyes?” 

“I’m not a medical expert, but it’s worth trying. It makes sense.” _If I need it to **live** than I’m sure it can help him with an injury._

“I appreciate it. I know the others would argue with me about it. I…have a history and-” 

“You’re a kakuja,” she inferred. 

“Yeah. Are you? I need to know if you’re going to keep coming back here.” 

“Yes. But only two others know…Like I said, it’s not something I’m happy about. I don’t eat ghoul meat because I want to. I never wanted to be a kakuja. I didn’t even know there was such a thing until…it first happened to me.” 

“Same.” 

“Please don’t tell the others,” she begged. “You’re right, they’re scared of the cannibalism going on. I don’t want them to think I have something to do with it or I might hurt them. You all here at :re are the only friends I have and the only people I can trust.” Sure, Tsukiyama was available but she certainly couldn’t trust him. 

“That’s not my secret. If they find out I hope it’s from you.” The hints of regret in his tone were heart-wrenching. “This conversation doesn’t leave the room, understand? And if they ask about the meat tell them I told you to do. If they have a problem with that they’ll take it up with me. I don’t want you getting in trouble for something I put you up to do. Just remember that you might be outed as a kakuja for it.” 

“I know. But if it helps then I’ll take that risk.” 

“You trust them. They’re your friends. If it’s as mutual then they shouldn’t take issue with it.” 

“I hope you’re right.” She pulled out her phone to check the time. It was already 1:42. “I need to go. Errands to run.” 

“That’s fine, I was done anyway,” he said briskly. He made no secret of his reluctance to do this. Perhaps the reason his eyes had yet to heal was because he had been considering eating ghoul meat all along but fought the idea knowing his friends would fight him on it. Perhaps he was fighting himself on it. No matter the case he had relented and trusted a damn near total stranger to do this for him. He felt pitiful but above all he felt desperate. 

As Béatrice rose and turned her back to him he spoke up one last time. 

“That incident that forced you to move…What was it?” 

She froze. What exactly did he suspect of her? What wasn’t he saying? “A cannibalistic massacre near where I grew up. It’s how my mother and I became separated.” 

“What was it called? Something like that sounds worthy of international attention.” 

“It was. It was called…‘The Wendigo Massacre’. That was what they called the ghoul responsible for it. A wendigo is a creature in First Nations mythology that can be either a possessed human or a human that’s become something demonic. I think the myths stem from actual ghouls. These ‘humans’ would cannibalize…even when human food was available to them. It’s called ‘Wendigo Syndrome’. The one behind the attacks was confirmed to be a ghoul so they gave it the name Wendigo because it cannibalized, even though there were humans nearby that it could’ve hunted. But Wendigo was never found. Lots of people started to think that it didn’t really happen, it was just a story the authorities made up to explain some atrocious mess they found in the Ontario woods. Someone was behind it, and if they didn’t know who or how then they had to create a scapegoat. It was ten or so years ago so I don’t know if Touka-chan would remember it but Nishiki-kun might. I heard it was, at the time anyway, the largest known act of ghoul-on-ghoul violence.” 

“I see.” 

“Why do you ask?” 

“If it made you relocate to another part of the country and then two other continents it had to have been a big deal. So all of Canada was looking, you went to France because you knew the language, and then came here?” 

“The search in Canada wasn’t going well and citizens were getting angry because their money was going towards it. The CCGRA, English abbreviation for the anti-ghoul agency, contacted other countries were French was very common in case Wendigo had left. Naturally France was first. I came here because I thought the agency crackdowns wouldn’t think to look in Japan for Wendigo and news of the raid on Anteiku also went global. They talked about how Anteiku was like a ‘refuge’ or ‘safe haven’ for ghouls who were conspiring to launch a huge assault on the CCG but after looking into it, and the levels of violence in the wards where that other group had lots of authority…Aogiri, that’s the name. Places where they struck most often were more violent. Anteiku seem like a refuge or safe haven, but not for a burgeoning militia. It seemed like a response to Aogiri. I really do need to go, but I can try and get that meat for you soon.” 

“Appreciate it.” 

He noticed that, as their conversation progressed, she began to smell like salt. Not the condiment but rather sweat. The temperature outside was mild and his room was cool. Process of elimination told him it was a nervous sweat. 

She wiped the beads off of her face with her sleeve before leaving his room. In the hall Nishiki gave her a curious look but she shook her head. That conversation was to stay between them, whether he liked it or not (which he clearly didn’t as he rolled his eyes before waving goodbye). After going downstairs she saw Hide wiping down the countertop while Touka was sitting with Hinami, the adolescent reading the latest Takatsuki Sen book. After having met the author she made arrangements with the local bookstores where they first met that Hinami receive a fifteen per cent off discount when purchasing her works. 

Farewells were bid and Béatrice stepped outside exhaling sharply. She had been careful not to use female pronouns when describing Wendigo but the sex of the North American terror was public information, along with hair color and racial background. The only information which, if Béatrice and Wendigo were to be cross-listed, matched up was racial background and sex. The age group set for the ghoul was too broad but she did fall into it nonetheless. All she had on her side was her hair dye and colored contacts; even the weakest of noses could sniff out the chemicals in hair dye and the shape and gloss of contacts could easily be noticed if one were close enough and the lighting was just right. 

Truth be told she had no errands to run as it was too early to go grocery shopping. Instead she had to get ready for a date she was already late for. Would he be waiting for her at her apartment again? How did he even get inside in the first place? She hadn’t even considered that until now. 

What was his definition of a date? Knowing Tsukiyama probably something fancy and posh…interchangeable with gaudy. The corner of Béatrice’s lip twitched in annoyance. She cared little for high society and fancy things, being so unfamiliar with them. If there was one thing she didn’t handle well it was being a fish out of water. 

_CLICK!_

A female human jumped out of an alleyway as Béatrice passed it, an expensive camera in hand. “There you are!” she said somewhat excitedly as she adjusted the settings on it. “Can I take a few more before we go?” 

“Go? Go where? Who-? Wait…You’re the girl who came to :re yesterday. The one playing on her phone the entire time.” 

“Nope,” the stranger replied simply. “I was taking pictures of you. The shutter sound and flash were off. He wanted some better images of you before stopping by to say ‘hello’ last night.” 

“…why in the hell would he have a human spy for him? No offense,” she added quickly. “But it’s… _him_.” 

“I have blackmail on him,” she smiled and extended a hand. “Hori Chie.” Béatrice reluctantly went to reach out and shake her hand but the scatter-brained girl retracted to put her camera away in a bag slung over her shoulder and pulled out a wallet. “Anyway, don’t worry about being late. He changed his mind last minute. Something about not finding enough entertainment for the ‘Sunday matinee’. He wants to reschedule to the evening, and he gave me this!” Chie whipped out a small plastic card. “His exact words were ‘I looked in her closet before she came home and almost vomited. She has no substantial amount of money to her name and if she’s going to accompany me in **public** she must be presentable. Use my card and take her shopping’.” 

_He looked through my clothes? The nerve…_ “He really has a way with words, eh?” the ghoul said sarcastically, folding her arms over chest. “I…I don’t like being in large, crowded places so if there’s a smaller boutique we could go to instead of a shopping mall- What am I saying?!” She banged her head against the wall of the building they stood in front of. “I should wear torn jeans and a stained t-shirt out of spite,” she muttered. 

“There’s a reason I was waiting in this particular alley, ya know.” 

“Huh?” Béatrice rubbed her forehead and then looked up. The sign that hung overhead was for a small boutique. “For the love of…Alright, _fine_. Let’s…go dress shopping.” 

“OK. Dressing shopping first. Then what...?” She pulled a small piece of paper out of her pocket. “‘Dress shopping, matching shoes, matching jewelry, hair salon, manicure and pedicure, makeup. I already had a mask custom made using pictures you sent me to determine her proportions. Have her ready by five. She’ll be picked up at five-fifteen.’” Chie pocketed the checklist. “Buy the things first, get you dolled up, change at your apartment, and you’ll be good to go. Ready?” 

“No.” 

“Great. Time to make you pretty.” 

“What’s wrong with the way I look?” 

“I’m a _photographer_. I know a disaster when I see it. Lucky for you I also have a keen eye for aesthetics. Why do you think I have so many pictures of Tsukiyama?” 

“…have any embarrassing ones?” Béatrice asked quietly as they entered the boutique. 

“Plenty. Want some? I can develop some copies for you.” 

“What’s the catch?” 

“Don’t tell him.” 

“Deal.”

**Author's Note:**

> I started playing around with the idea for this story before Tokyo Ghoul:re had many chapters out, and like hell I can resist a canon divergence. But I'm gonna bring in a few elements of it like naming the new cafe :re. There won't be many spoilers for those who haven't read or aren't up-to-date on it yet. Also this is part one of a two story series; the series is unnamed at the current. It's my first Tokyo Ghoul fanfic so I hope it doesn't suck!
> 
> And yes, there will be a few Canadian stereotypes. My mom's French-Canadian so she helped me with shaping the CGGRA and the French terms for kakuja, kagune, etc. That was lotsa fun :D The stereotypes though, I'm really just poking fun at myself if anything. But Béatrice won't be a living embodiment of them, I swear. This isn't Hetalia ;)


End file.
